‘Hybrid dormitories’ near San Diego State University? More, please.

California’s emergence as the epicenter of American poverty is driven by its extreme housing costs. This is why both San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Gov. Gavin Newsom emphasizedclearing obstacles to adding new housing stock this month.

The state will also benefit from a willingness to pursue unconventional alternatives. A great example was given the go-ahead Monday by the City Council. It’s a privately owned 128-room “hybrid dormitory” next to the San Diego State University campus, a five-story apartment complex with small studio rooms that each have bathrooms, with shared kitchen areas on each floor. The developer, Elsey Partners of Kansas, has had success with similar projects near the University of Southern California and colleges in Oklahoma and Nebraska.

The College Area has long been plagued with complaints over “mini-dorms” — single-family homes that are rented out to a half-dozen or more students. But city efforts to regulate the “mini-dorms” were rejected by a judge in 2017 for several reasons, starting with the rules conflicting with state housing laws. As Councilman Scott Sherman noted, responding to the “mini-dorm” problem by offering market alternatives is a better approach.

With so many great colleges in California, “hybrid dormitories” could emerge statewide as a relatively inexpensive, healthy niche of the housing market.